bowl of umami

i am feeling pretty smug this morning. as i write this, it is barely noon and i have already

-been grocery shopping

-been to target

-peeled, chopped and diced ingredients for our loaded baked potato soup dinner that is currently simmering away on low in the crock pot

-taken over 30 photographs and edited a handful of them

-made myself that fragrant, spicy bowl of noodle-y goodness you see above

(insert pat on back here)

asparagus + goat cheese quiche

the mister was out of town this week. the lucky so and so went to san francisco for a work thing and so i was on my own for meals for a couple nights. 

i don't know about how things work in your house, but around here, when one of us is absent for dinner, the other takes full advantage of that and eats the stuff that we like (and the other isn't a fan of). for me, that means that when the mister is not here, i like to eat mushroom laden food, goat cheese, foods dotted with olives and quiche.

glorious, lovely, silky quiche.

cheesy baked spinach

this baked spinach recipe is a mash-up of several of julia child's spinach recipes. deb from smitten kitchen found this to be the winning combo and i definitely agree. 

huevos rancheros

we just had this for dinner and i strongly urge you to make it and put it in permanent rotation on your meal list. it comes together quickly, consists of just a few ingredients that you are likely to usually have on hand and it hits the spot every time. i can't believe it took us so long to finally make it.

again, learn from my mistakes, people.

here's the recipe. make this. you can thank me later.

paleo mashed sweet potatoes, spinach and a fried egg aka breakfast

do you know what's in that little jar up there? c'mmmmonnn, you know. 

vegetarians and vegans, please look away, lest you be repelled by my little jar of bacon fat.

italian sausage frittata

you all know how much i love a good frittata. they are always quick, easy, delicious. but, the best thing about a nice fluffy frittata is that you can put whatever you have on hand in it and the possibilities are endless.

chard + salami frittata

frittatas are one of those meals that are great to have in your back pocket. you can throw in whatever bits and pieces you have left in your fridge, and most people always have eggs on hand. once you know the method for making the frittata, you can make it a million different ways.

oh mon dieu! pain perdu

oooh lala, i was feeling fancy this morning and felt like making some pain perdu.

oui, tres bon!

never mind that it is the exact same thing as french toast, i just like saying pain perdu.

fluffy frittatas

 (pic above is a frittata blast from the past. i forgot to take a pic of the one i made last night)

fluffy, cheesy, savory frittatas are not just for breakfast. they are delicious with a slice of toasted sourdough smeared with a healthy pat of butter, yes. but, they are equally tasty alongside a salad or some roasted veggies for lunch or dinner.

frittatas are a triple threat!

i win.

let me tell you, this little potato was a worthy opponent. worthy. with all it's starch and attitude and resistance, it definitely gave me a run for my money.

but me?  i'm determined and spunky and persistent. my persistence payed off here. big time.

look at those hash browns. crispy on the outside and fluffy (not slimy!) on the inside.

i win.

now, the journey to get from that first picture to the second picture went a  little something like this...

delightfully un-glamorous

were you forced to eat egg salad as a child?

my poor husband was (by his evil two-headed, fire-breathing, warty nosed babysitter) and now he has a serious aversion to egg salad sandwiches. he loves frittatas and fried egg sandwiches and scrambled eggs... but egg salad?

no way, jose.

and i will agree that its not pretty and oooooh boy! the house for sure reeks after you make an egg salad sandwich, but sometimes...oh sometimes, it just hits the spot. plus, we always have local + farm fresh eggs in the house and so its a great go-to lunch or dinner.

ugliness, be damned. its tasty!

baked eggs with parm and asparagus

 here is the tricky part about baked eggs...

asparagus surprise

                                                                      
                                                                          plus  

 

+ parmigiano reggiano + heavy cream + cayenne + lemon zest = ?

who knows what we are having for dinner?

the winner will get some of my home baked bourbon chocolate chip cookies...